Pup travelled 11900 miles to his forever home

Pup traveled 11900 miles/19100 km to his forever home in the coolest shoes.
Kala has the coolest shoes. (And, well, he’s a dog, so you know this is going to be interesting!).

Kala is playful and smart, he’s happy to help others. Mostly, though, he’s just happy. This was not always the case.
He was so little when we found him in the streets of India. His front legs were bowed, a birth defect in India thats seen often, giving him a limping gait. He had a bone fracture beneath open, infected flesh. He was thin, alone. It was lucky for him that it was still winter in Hyderabad, a city that can see 90° temperatures in February. After examination, we also discovered that he had tick fever and a deep neck infection, both conditions that could take his life.

Several worried nights passed while Kala stayed at a foster home in India. But as much as he likes to play, Kala is a fighter. With the help of medication, healthy food and good old-fashioned love, tick fever and the deep neck infection were defeated. Five pages of veterinary bills later, Kala is free of tick infection. Fixing his bowed legs, one of them broken, would be a whole other story.

Fixing his leg would require the help of a highly skilled orthopedic specialist, but none were available locally. The clock was ticking down to get him adopted. In India, puppies have better chances than adult dogs, but with an injury, he’d have no chance. To solve both issues, the founder of Stray Animals of India Foundation flew across the world to get him.

Ujwala, the founder of SAFI, brought him back to Florida to foster and work to find a permanent home. We were able to find a vet who could handle Kala’s injuries. After few vet visits Kala Xrays showed birth defects. The vet explained that permanent damage had been done and that his muscles were extremely weak. But, at least, he was going to be okay.

At Ujwala’s house, he mostly spent his time in his cage, where he felt safe. She spoke kindness to him, and though he didn’t grasp the language, he got the message. With the help of a few strategically timed treats, he emerged slowly from the cage. Still limping, he started playing with the other foster dogs.

With a little time, good food and more of that good old-fashioned love, Kala could run happily with the other dogs. A wonderful prosthetics company created supports for his bowed legs, allowing him to stand as straight as any other dog. They are fancy shoes, as nice as any dog has worn. Now, fit and healthy, we would find him a family.

Kala stayed several months with Ujwala when Debbie Pearl in California got in touch to adopt Kala. She is the mother of five children with special needs who works with local hospitals to support other special-needs kids. Kala’s new mom even writes books for children about her dogs! Her non-profit organization works with local hospitals, supporting children in recovery and those with special needs. Now, Kala is part of THE UNSTOPPABLE DOGS pack and is working (well, mostly playing) to show humans how far good medicine, healthy food, and love can take you.

We are very thankful to Debbie Pearl, founder of Dream fetchers.